The Chronicles of Birth
by NattiKay
Summary: Inuyasha and Kagome's family just keeps growing, and with each new addition is a new tale to tell. Post-manga. Each chapter can be read as a oneshot.
1. Shippo

Shippo was enjoying being back in the village. He'd only had to leave once for fox demon training since Kagome had returned, and he had to admit, it was the first time that he'd been unenthusiastic about going. It wasn't that he didn't like the training, but it had just been so long since he'd seen the futuristic miko. Something about seeing her again lifted the young kit's heart, brightened his playful eyes…yet he couldn't place just what.

Besides, who would be there to protect her while he was gone?

…Well, he thought, technically that would be Inuyasha's job. The hanyou had always been rather protective of the miko, and the fact that they had just recently gotten married would probably only strengthen that drive. And Shippo knew that Inuyasha would do a good job keeping Kagome safe. Despite their friendly rivalry, it had always been obvious to the kitsune how much the hanyou cared for Kagome and he'd seen him succeed in her protection plenty of times before.

But still, even if he wasn't in love with her like Inuyasha was, Shippo still felt himself feeling a sense wanting to protect the young miko, who claimed that she was now living here permanently, no longer traveling so often through the well.

"Hey, Shippo," came a voice, jarring the kit out of his thoughts. Shippo turned and looked up to see a friendly smile and warm brown eyes, meeting it swiftly with equally happy green ones.

"Hi, Kagome!" he responded, leaping up on her shoulder like he used to do. "Where are you going?"

"Looking for you, actually," the miko responded. "My home has finally finished being built. Do you wanna come see it?"

Shippo gasped in delight. For the past two months or so, Inuyasha, Miroku, and a few of the other men had been working to build a new home for Inuyasha and Kagome as a newly married couple, just on the outskirts of the village, away from the commotion and nearer to the forest, just as they'd requested. During that time, they had stayed in either Miroku and Sango's house or Kaede's, and both options had been rather crowded; after all, Miroku and Sango had three children to deal with, and Kaede had Rin as well as Shippo, when he was present. It would be nice for them to have a place of their own.

"Yeah!" he gasped enthusiastically. Then he paused a moment, a thought just occurring to him. "What about Miroku and Sango? Are you gonna invite them, too?"

Kagome smiled sweetly.

"Inuyasha went to go get them. I came for you."

"Oh, ok."

Kagome chuckled lightly and turned, taking Shippo in the direction of the house. The excited little kit abounded with questions.

"Is it big?" he asked. "Is it fancy? Are we all gonna have a big sleepover? Is there more than one room? How long dose it take to get there?"

The young miko just laughed good-naturedly at the child's enthusiasm.

"It's just a normal house, Shippo," she reminded. "Not much different from Miroku and Sango's."

Shippo didn't respond to that particularly. No, it wasn't similar to Miroku and Sango's. Maybe it would be in build, but…he had a feeling that this house would be strangely special to him. He just knew it. Yet he couldn't place why.

They got there soon enough. Shippo leapt off Kagome's shoulder and immediately began exploring, laughing happily as he went.

"He sure seems excited," commented Sango, coming up behind Kagome.

"Keh! He'd better not break anything," rumbled Inuyasha, but looking up, Kagome saw an oddly amused gleam behind his otherwise gruff expression and crossed arms.

"Oh, he'll be fine," she brushed, giving her husband a small playful push to the arm. The hanyou huffed and rolled his eyes, but a light smile clung to his lips, effectively blocking his grimace. Ok, so Inuyasha was excited, too. So what, right?

There was a brief silence as Shippo bounded off into another room. Sango was the first to break it.

"Still," she said. "Four rooms, and a small hall. That's pretty nice, Kagome," the demon slayer commented. Kagome smiled at her friend, but before she could speak, Inuyasha cut in.

"Four rooms is nothing," the hanyou said flatly. "You should see the place Kagome has back in her time! It's huge!"

"Really?" said Sango, turning to Kagome for confirmation. The miko nodded.

"Yup. But it's normal for my time."

"Ah. Well, still, for this time…well, what are you going to do with all these rooms?"

Kagome shrugged.

"I…dunno. I just thought they could be handy. This main one here is where the fire pit is, so this is where we'll do cooking, and one of the others back there is a bedroom," she said, gesturing to a doorway that led out of the main room where they stood, separated by simple curtains.

"And the other two? Certainly you don't need _that _much storage space?" Sango pressed.

"Well, no," Kagome admitted, "But I still thought they could have been…handy," she added, almost to herself, using the same answer for lack of a better one. She found that she couldn't help stealing a glance at the twins running after Shippo and the tiny boy in Miroku's arms.

Of course she wanted the rooms as bedrooms for possible future children. After having Miroku and Sango with their happy little family for the past few months and now recently having gotten married, she was left wanting one more than ever. But would Inuyasha agree? She couldn't say for sure.

So for now, she'd just stay quiet about her honest yearnings.

.oOo.

An afternoon of discussions was well-spent, but sure enough, at one point Miroku and Sango had to go home, leaving only Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo just outside the sliding doors, watching them go. After a moment, Inuyasha announced that he was going inside to get used to the place, closing the door behind him. Silence. Then Shippo spoke up.

"Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"Could I stay here?"

"For the night? Sure. You can sleep in one of the extra rooms, if you'd like." Shippo paused, looking up at her a bit sadly with wide green eyes.

"No, I mean—" the kitsune started, trying to find the right words. "I mean, forever," he finished. "I mean…can I…live with you?"

Kagome blinked in surprise, rather caught off-guard by the question.

"Wh…why do you ask?" she stammered. "Don't you live with Kaede?"

Shippo adverted his eyes slightly.

"Well, yes…and no. I mean, for me, Kaede's place is a house, but…"—he turned his gaze back up to the miko's—"it's just not a _home_."

Kagome gazed earnestly at the little kit, searching his wide, emotion-filled emerald eyes.

"And what makes a house a home?" she murmured gently, voice scarcely above a whisper.

Shippo tried to stop his tears. He really did. He was a demon, right? A powerful fox demon!

But he was still just a kid. He leapt for Kagome, clinging to her shirt and sobbing. Kagome put comforting arms around her little friend, stroking his fire-red hair. She was silent, willing to listen, when the kit began to choke out his reply.

"It's home when…when…you have a family that loves you!" he stammered.

And with that, Kagome's heart just broke for the poor little fox.

"Are you saying that Kaede doesn't love you?" she pressed, allowing the kitsune to release the feelings he'd been holding longer than was probably healthy. "Or Rin?"

"No," moaned Shippo, "Kaede and Rin are both really nice to me, and Rin is fun to play with," he admitted. "But…they're not the same as you!" Another spasm of sobs racked his body and Kagome held the child closer.

"You…you were the first person I bonded with after my parents died," he continued, "You and Inuyasha helped me get revenge, and then you took care of me and you were nice to me and you were always there to listen," Shippo paused, hesitating. Should he really add this next thought?

…Yes. He had to let her know.

"Kagome, you remind me of my mother," he finally said, clinging to her tighter. "My real mother's dead, and when you left, it was like that pain all over again! Of course the others were there to help, but it still hurt on the inside."

Again, he met Kagome's eyes, those brown depths now, too, just beginning to brim with unshed tears at the kit's confession.

"Shippo…" she whispered, voice hoarse with growing emotions.

"Kagome, I want you to fill that role. I _need_ you to!" Shippo sobbed. "I need to have a mother again."

The miko was lost for words. All she could do now was just hold the kit, let him cry it all out. The stayed that way for several minutes until Shippo finally spoke up again.

"So can I stay here?" he murmured, voice still thick with emotion.

Kagome wanted to say yes. She really, really wanted to say yes. She would be more than happy to take that role for Shippo.

But this wasn't just her house.

She kissed the child gently on the top of his head.

"Well, you can certainly stay at least for the night," she confirmed. "I'll talk to Inuyasha about you staying permanently. Ok?"

Shippo nodded dully.

"Ok."

He took a minute to hug the miko tightly with his tiny arms.

"Thank you, Kagome. I love you."

"Love you, too, Shippo," whispered the miko. "Go to bed now, hmm?"

The kitsune smiled, leaping down.

"Ok!"

.oOo.

Inuyasha was already half-asleep when Kagome walked in, but certainly awake enough to notice. He opened his golden eyes and shifted his position to look quizzically at his wife.

"What took you so long?" he grumbled.

"Sorry, I was talking to Shippo," Kagome responded quickly, cutting off there. Was now really the right time to ask?

The hanyou, though, sensed her hesitation.

"…And? What did he say?" he pressed. Kagome hesitated, them blurted the kit's question aloud.

"Can Shippo stay with us?"

"Eh?" gasped the hanyou. Though Kagome felt no doubt that deep down Inuyasha and Shippo felt some sort of strong bond between them, there was no denying the "friendly rivalry" that often masked said bond.

"Well…he has no where else to go…"

"I thought he was staying with Kaede. That's were he's been for three years. Why can't it stay that way?"

"Well…" Kagome repeated. She sighed, mustering up a bit of courage, before launching into the relaying of the entire conversation she'd just had with Shippo. "Besides," she added at the end, whispering her afterthought as she slowly snaked an arm around her husband, staring earnestly, even a little desperately, into his eyes. "Every married couple winds up with kids eventually, right?"

Inuyasha was speechless, blinking a few times to let the thoughts register. When it finally did sink in, he shook his head gently, though not in a disapproving manner; rather, more like trying to clear it from unwanted thoughts. A small smile rested upon his lips.

"All right, fine," he permitted lightly. "If you feel so strongly about it. The kit can stay."

Kagome beamed at her husband, leaning over and pecking him quickly on the nose.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. Shippo will be ecstatic."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but there was no scorn in his gaze, or was there any in his voice when he replied.

"Keh."

And so the kit was the first.

.oOo.

**Author's Note**

I thought it might be nice to start out with Shippo and how he became an "official" member of the family. ;)


	2. Michi

Pacing. Pacing. Pacing.

He couldn't take this much longer. He couldn't take listening to her yell and groan like that just beyond those doors.

He'd never before felt so nervous.

Now, Inuyasha had been in some difficult and scary situations in the past, most of them including demons and blood and violence. But never had he felt so helpless…or, dare he admit it, scared.

It was just a kid, dang it!

Another pained moan from inside, and he had just _had it._

"That's it! I'm going in!" he snapped, turning in the direction of the house.

"No, wait, Inuyasha! Kaede said not to go in there unless Kagome wants you to!" gasped Shippo, grasping his adopted father's pant leg with a tiny clawed hand.

"I don't care!" snarled the hanyou. "Kagome's in pain! I _have _to help!"

"I wouldn't, Inuyasha," warned Miroku, who stood outside with them, babysitting his own three children as Sango assisted Kaede and Rin inside, the twins Amaya and Misaki being about four now, and 'baby' Moku already one and a half. "Trust me—birth isn't a pretty thing. You'll honestly be better off staying here unless called for."

Inuyasha folded his ears back in irritation, shooting a death glare at the monk, but he said nothing and didn't move any closer to the house. The monk was rather familiar with the subject, after all. He would know.

The pacing resumed for a while. Eventually, the hanyou stopped, sitting down and trying to stay still, but his foot was still tapping, his fingers still fumbling, his ears twitching with every moan and groan. The discontented look was obvious on his face.

After what seemed like hours—and possibly could have been, he'd quite frankly lost track of time—Rin poked her head out of the sliding doors.

"Inuyasha, Kagome's asking for you," the girl informed, smiling her characteristic innocent smile.

Well, Inuyasha didn't have to be told twice!

The hanyou leapt to his tapping bare feet, sprinting the short distance to the door.

When he actually came to the threshold, though, he hesitated a moment, nerves building up behind his heart and a cool sweat breaking his forehead. What exactly would await him on the other side of the door?

With another moan of Kagome's voice, the thoughts were forgotten, and in he went.

Kagome wasn't in the first room, only a kettle of warm water over a bed of embers. For a moment, Inuyasha panicked. Where was she? Oh! Their room! That's right; she was in their room for quicker access to the blankets!

Inuyasha bolted towards the next room, running in and pausing to take in the sight. Kagome was there, all right, lying half-naked on a couple of blankets. Her face was reddened with effort and sweat seemed to mask her skin. Her face was distorted in pain as she let out another horrific moan of effort, but once it had passed, she looked up to see her husband and greeted him with a slight and grateful smile.

"Inuyasha," she greeted, voice slightly hoarse, "Inuyasha, I'm almost done. It's almost here."

Inuyasha blinked, mouth slightly agape, speechless. Almost…done…

"Not much left," confirmed Sango, holding her friend's hand comfortingly. "Hang in there, Kagome,"

"Just a few more pushes," agreed Kaede. Kagome nodded gratefully at her friends, taking some deep breaths before another hard spasm hit.

That seemed to snap Inuyasha out of his trance. He was beside his wife in a heartbeat, clasping her spare hand in his, gazing at her with worry shining in his golden eyes.

Kagome smiled vaguely up at him again; his presence seemed to bring her relief. _Thank goodness, _he thought, _that I was able to help her _somehow_…_

"Inuyasha, aren't you excited?" Kagome half-whispered in between the frequent painful spasms. "We're going to be parents!"

Inuyasha nodded numbly, but could not find the words to fit his feelings.

"Ok, Kagome, almost there!" cried Kaede. "One more! Come on!"

Kagome gritted her teeth and moaned and groaned and grasped both Inuyasha and Sango's comforting hands to the point that her friends were sure their circulation would be cut off.

And then…relief.

All was silent for about three long seconds before the wailing of a new voice cut through the room.

Young, innocent, and perfectly tuned for tugging at its mother's heartstrings.

Kaede smiled at the messy, wailing red lump in her hands.

"Rin, get the water," the elderly miko requested, young Rin quick to comply, sprinting to the other room with a wild grin on her face and returning a moment later with the warm water from the old embers, pouring it into a small wooden tub.

"Congratulations, you two," Kaede said gently. "It's a boy."

Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged glances. Kagome was relieved and beyond overjoyed; though her face showed the calmness of tire, it also sported an ecstatic spark in her russet-brown gaze. Inuyasha's held relief as well, and even a tone of disbelief, but in a happy way.

_I…I have a son…_ he thought. We_ have a son…wow…_

The idea was going to take a while to really sink in.

Once the cord was cut and the child bathed and clothed, he was handed over to his mother, who gladly accepted him into her arms. For the first time, his parents could get a good look at him.

He had a sweet face, if scrunched up by his newborn expression. He had a full head of soft black hair, but that hair was downy and wispy. Kagome just about squealed in delight when she noticed the child's tiny ears, the black fur on their temporarily folded over puppy shape almost blending into his hair.

"He's _perfect_," Kagome proclaimed, a very certain, yet soft air to her voice as she stared in awe at her new son, holding him gently close. Inuyasha nodded lightly, still trying to let the sight sink in fully.

"…Yeah," the hanyou managed, voice just breaking a whisper. "Perfect…"

The tiny boy squirmed just a little bit and cracked open his eyes to take his first fuzzy, unfocused glance at his parents with a soft indigo gaze. The dark color reminded Kagome of Inuyasha's own eyes on the night of the new moon…striking and deep.

"Hey, little guy," Kagome cooed, smiling and suppressing a giggle. "We've been waiting a long time to meet you!"

As if in response, the baby moved again, scrunching his eyes back closed and releasing a little whine.

"He's hungry," Kaede informed as she stood, ready to leave. "You might want to get on that."

"Congratulations, guys," added Sango, following Kaede outside. "He's adorable. Don't forget to name him!"

Rin just giggled, being the last to leave.

Now the little threesome was left alone. Taking Kaede's advice, Kagome moved aside her loosely-worn shirt and held the child up, allowing him to contentedly suckle.

Kaede's advice down, now time for Sango's…

"So, a name," Kagome began. "Any ideas?"

Inuyasha shook his head, thinking more deeply than he normally did. Name…a name…what sounded good?

There was silence for a while as the couple watched their new child hungrily feed.

"How about…" Kagome mused after a minute or so, "…how about 'Michi'?"

Inuyasha blinked at the suggestion.

"Michi?" he repeated, trying the name on his tongue. "Why?" There was no scorn in his question, only curiosity. Kagome shrugged.

"I dunno. It just entered my mind, and…well…well, I dunno. It just feels right. It seems to fit him."

Inuyasha thought about it a moment, gazing at the little boy the entire time, as if to glue the name to the face.

"…Yes," he answered at last. "Yes, it dose." Kagome smiled.

"Welcome to the family, Michi," she greeted sweetly. "There are so many people just dying to meet you. But not today," she added with a glance at her husband. "Okaa's pretty tired now."

Inuyasha smiled back, feeling oddly pleased with this situation.

Newly-named Michi, now full, released his source of food, cuddling back up ready for sleep. The hanyou felt a strange rush of pride at the sight.

"Kagome…can…can I hold him?" he asked a bit hesitantly. As proud and pleased as he was to have a son, the feeling of being dad was still very new and foreign to him; though he was friends with Shippo, he'd never really had quite as strong a "parent-child" bond as Kagome did with the kit, not to mention that he had little experience with children so young.

But Kagome only beamed at him, obviously delighted to see him ask.

"Of course! He's your son, too, after all," she reminded, gently handing over the bundle. Inuyasha accepted it, shifting from his previous kneeling stance to a more comfortable cross-legged one.

At first, the hanyou's grasp was tense and nervous, as if he were afraid that the child would shatter like a glass doll were any mistakes to be made. But after a few moments, he found himself relaxing, letting the baby sleep sweetly in his arms.

And in that moment, everything was worth it.

.oOo.

Kaede, Rin, and Sango walked out of the hut to the awaiting group.

"How are they?" asked Miroku.

"They're all doing fine," Kaede responded. "The baby was healthy and they seem to be taking it all well."

"Is it a boy or girl? Boy or girl?" Shippo asked excitedly, jumping up and down in front on the elderly miko. Kaede smiled.

"It's a boy, though when we left, they hadn't yet decided on a name," she informed. Shippo leapt up in the air in excitement.

"Yay! I have a baby brother!" he exclaimed. "Can I go see them?"

This time, it was Sango who shook her head.

"Not yet, Shippo. Give them some time to adjust. A new baby is a big change in one's life."

The kit looked a bit dejected for a moment, but he nodded in understanding. Seeing this, Miroku quickly made an offer.

"Why don't you come down to our house for the afternoon, Shippo? I'll make some tea when we get back, and I'll walk you back this evening."

That seemed to lift the child's spirits.

"Ok!"

.oOo.

In the aftermath of it all, things seemed to work out.

Kagome rested a lot the first few days, of course, but they managed to get their room its well-needed cleanup. Shippo finally got to meet his baby brother and for a while seemed to talk about him non-stop.

Michi was growing well thus far. He was young, but was certainly showing signs of health and strength. Within the first few days of his life, the folded-over flaps of skin on top of his head had erected into tiny, fuzzy pointed ears like his father's, and his dark hair looked even softer and fuzzier now that it was dry.

As for Kagome and Inuyasha, they were doing rather well with the adjustment. Inuyasha was having the most trouble, being much more unaccustomed to such a situation than Kagome, who had a younger brother and had been "mothering" Shippo for quite a while now.

But they were happy. Inuyasha had to admit that some of the moments he'd lately shared with his new family were far more joyful than a vast majority of his other memories.

This family was off to a very nice start.

.oOo.

**Author's Note:**

I should probably note that I've never actually attended a birth before, nor do I really plan to until one day in the far future when I have kids myself. That being said, all I know about it is what I've gathered from other resources. So if any of the scenes from this fic come across as unrealistic, I apologize.

Also, it's probably good to know that this chapter takes place about a year and a half after the previous one. XD

One more thing…this chapter is probably about as graphic as this fic will ever get, but if some of you think I need to bump the rating to T, just let me know. ;)

Big thank-you to my reviewers! I live off you guy's feedback, you know. XD I'm always excited to see a new one. It makes me want to write!

xxBrokenNightDollxx—Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it! :) Don't worry; I don't plan to make any such scenes. Never have, never will…I don't like reading that kind of stuff, either. ;)

Arrankor—That's a good point, but you also have to keep in mind a few other things: 1.) Inuyasha and Kagome have already been married a month and a half at that point. Not super long, but y'know. 2.) Shippo has technically been living with them for a long time already—during the span of the actual series as well as those three years without Kagome in which, by my headcanon, he and Inuyasha both lived with Kaede. The only difference now is that it'll be in their own house. 3.) He's still just a kid. He probably didn't take that into consideration. XD

But thank you for your feedback; it's greatly appreciated! :3


	3. Izayoi

A streak of yellow joined the many other colorful lines and swirls and squiggles as a waxy tip ran across the paper's surface.

Michi, at age three, liked coloring. It was fun, even if he couldn't quite get his pictures to come out like Shippo's. He glanced over at his adopted brother's paper. The kit was drawing a two-tailed, yellow kitten…Kirara.

"S'pretty," he said in awe. "Kirara."

Shippo nodded, holding up his paper.

"Yup!" the kit agreed cheerfully, gazing proudly at his artwork of their four-legged friend. "She's so fun to draw! You should try drawing her." Michi shook his small head, showing off his own messy artwork.

"No, Shippo," he said. Shippo glanced up.

"What?"

"Shippo!" Michi repeated, pointing at the picture.

"Yeah, I see your picture," said the kit, nodding towards Michi's set of scribbles.

"No, _Shippo!_" Michi exclaimed once more, drawing back his dark, fuzzy puppy ears in a brief bout of frustration. "S'Shippo!"

The young kitsune blinked a few times, rather confused. Then it clicked…it was supposed to be a drawing of _him!_ Looking back more closely, after all, he could recognize his yellow puff ball of a tail and patch of red hair tied up in a teal bow.

"_Oh,_" he said, suddenly deciding that he knew all along. "So it's me?" Michi nodded enthusiastically. Shippo carefully took the piece of artwork. "Wow, it looks so pretty! But of course, not as amazing as the real thing!" he added with a playful overtone, grinning goofily at his little brother. Michi laughed at the kit's tone, delighted that he liked the work. He reached out and took another blank sheet of paper from the pile, along with a battered red crayon.

"Draw 'Tou now," he announced, bringing the crayon down on the paper.

Inuyasha's ears pricked with interest from where he'd been supervising in the corner. He leaned up slightly, trying to see over his little son's shoulders from back where he was.

It didn't take the child long to finish his scribbled array of reds and silvers. At his conclusion, he turned to show his father.

"'Tou!" he exclaimed, smiling toothily.

Inuyasha smiled. How could he not? It may have been difficult to distinguish the drawing—very difficult—but it was still a cute gesture.

"Ooh, nice job, Michi," he complimented. His golden eyes softened slightly as he added his request. "Could you draw Okaa, too? And you?"

Michi nodded.

"'K," the three-year-old said, turning back to his paper and grabbing another few crayons. He finished within the next two minutes, standing up this time and bringing his artwork over to his father.

"See?" the child asked quizzically, holding out the paper. Inuyasha accepted it and glanced over it, smiling lightly as he recognized the white, red, and black blob that was meant to be Kagome and the smaller green and black one that was probably Michi. He smirked when he noticed that the child had tried to draw his mother with the big, distended tummy she'd had for the past few months.

Speaking of which…their second child would be here any hour now. Kagome was back at their home, once more with Kaede, Sango, and Rin, working hard to bring this new child into the world. Inuyasha had taken Michi and Shippo over to Sango and Miroku's house to wait…though he was planning to go back and comfort his wife as soon as Miroku from his little expedition with his own kids and could take over the role of supervisor.

That didn't take very long. Shortly after the thought crossed the hanyou's mind, almost-seven-year-old Amaya and Misaki bounded in to the room, followed by their father and brothers—now two of them, as Sango and Miroku had another little boy just a year ago. They named him Keitaro—or sometimes just "Taro" for short—and he looked almost as much like his father as the twins looked like their mother. Unlike his "extreme" siblings, though, four-year-old Moku looked most like a cross between the two.

Inuyasha stood to greet Miroku, who had still been out of the house when Kagome realized that the time was now. The monk was a bit surprised to see his friend, but having been in the situation himself enough times, it didn't take long to guess what was going on.

"Can you watch Michi?" he asked, nodded to the little three-year-old on the floor, once again scribbling with his crayons. "And Shippo? I have to be with Kagome." The monk nodded.

"Of course."

Inuyasha blinked gratefully.

"Thanks, Miroku!" the hanyou exclaimed, bursting out the door in a nerve network of red and silver. Michi glanced up, a bit alarmed.

"'Roku, where 'Tou going?" he asked, turning to the friendly monk whom he thought of as a sort of uncle.

"To be with your mother for a while," answered Miroku. "He'll be back soon."

Michi nodded, satisfied enough. At least Miroku was here, and Shippo. And Miroku's kids…Michi was finding recently that he quite enjoyed hanging out with Moku, after all. He was still surrounded by familiar faces.

.oOo.

Inuyasha bolted back to his home, his demonlike speed making the journey much quicker than in normally was. He bolted through the main doors, then slowed, catching himself. He slowly scooted towards his room, slipping inside and falling gently beside his wife in the middle of an ear-splitting groan. He slipped his comforting hand into hers. The miko glanced at her husband briefly, giving a shallow nod of acknowledgement, but could say nothing more at the time. The pain momentarily subsided and she flashed a form of a smile at him, though tire obviously clouded her expression.

"Hey," she murmured, though trying to stay as light-hearted as she meant to was difficult in this situation. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry," the hanyou apologized earnestly. "Miroku was out of the house and I couldn't just leave them alone. I had to wait until—" but his explanation was cut short as another painful spasm struck, his hand suddenly being squeezed numb by his poor wife. Conversation forgotten, he gripped it back.

The pattern went on for hours yet, the spasms becoming more and more frequent and painful. Until finally, as she had felt last time, Kagome recognized the sudden rush of relief.

Three seconds went by. Five. Ten. Fifteen. But there was something wrong…she couldn't hear anything.

Kagome felt numb with worry, as though she had just gone completely deaf. Was there something wrong? Was the baby ok? Michi had been crying by this point, hadn't he? She was about to voice her motherly fears to Kaede in a rush of questions when she heard a squeak, then a whine, then the crying. She relaxed quickly, deeply relieved. After a long exhale, she sent a proud, if tired, smile at Inuyasha, who grinned back with a special light in his eyes which she'd only ever seen before when the hanyou was handling Michi.

Kaede chuckled, washing the child in the warm tub that Rin had prepared.

"Well, she's finally here," the elderly miko chortled kindly.

"She? It's a girl?" echoed Inuyasha.

"That she is," confirmed Kaede. Inuyasha and Kagome shared a glance. A girl would be a nice addition to a family with two boys. They were satisfied.

Kaede soon handed the child to Kagome and exited with a smile on her face, Rin dancing out behind her, though not as enthusiastically as she once would have. As she got older, Rin was getting more serious and focused…but she was still no doubt an optimistic child.

Sango glanced over at the new child. Like her older brother, the new little girl had dark hair and cute little puppy ears…though her folded-over ears seemed, in a very odd way, longer, and her hair was a bit thicker.

"She's adorable!" gushed Sango. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," said Kagome, smiling. "Oh, and Sango?" she added as the demon slayer prepared to leave.

"Yes?"

"Could you bring Michi and Shippo back down here?"

Sango smiled, knowing the feeling.

"Of course."

And so she left.

Kagome grinned down at her new daughter as the child opened her eyes to reveal deep and startling russets that mirrored her mother's. She let out a tiny, frail squeal, quite different from the wails she had gotten into after birth, asking for milk. Kagome gladly complied.

"Here we are again," the young miko mused sweetly. "Time again to come up with a name, huh?"

"What? Oh, uh, yeah," agreed Inuyasha. Though being his second-born child, this girl's arrival wasn't quite as jarring to him as Michi's had been, but he still had trouble keeping his mind from drifting at the sight of her. "Um…let's see…" Girl's names, girl's names. Did he know any?"

"Hm…how about Yuki? 'Snow.' It's almost winter, after all," Kagome suggested. Inuyasha thought about it, then shook his head.

"Nah, it's not winter _yet_, and I don't see any snow."

"Ok. Um…how about Keiko?"

Again, a shake of the head, but this one was almost immediate.

"No, reminds me too much of Keitaro, and they're pretty close in age."

"They're a year apart," reasoned Kagome.

"Yeah, that might be significant _now,_ but when they're older, it won't be." Inuyasha argued. Kagome nodded…he did have a point.

"Ok, not Keiko," the miko agreed. "What about…um…Aimi? 'Love' and 'beautiful'."

Inuyasha's gaze softened.

"I like the meanings," he admitted gently, but then his face took on a more confused layer. "…But it just doesn't seem to fit her. How about…um…uh…" the hanyou thought hard, wanting desperately to contribute to the naming of his new daughter. "How about…Moriko?"

Kagome smiled. 'Forest child'…it didn't surprise her at all that Inuyasha would come up with a name like that. Yet at the same time…it just didn't feel right to her, much like Aimi hadn't felt right to Inuyasha.

Kagome sighed in exasperation. Michi hadn't taken long to name at all…why was naming this new little girl so difficult? She just couldn't seem to find one that just _fit._

Then an idea struck her.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha, gazing at him quizzically.

"Inuyasha," she asked softly, "What was your mother's name?" The hanyou blinked in surprise, a bit caught off-guard by the question.

"Um…Izayoi," he answered plainly. Kagome smiled. Perfect.

"We should name her Izayoi, then."

Inuyasha blinked again, unsure of how to react at Kagome's sudden decision. But he had to admit, he did like that idea. His mother, like most mothers, was a very treasured person in his life, and she had died when he was much too young. But she was incredible kind and understanding and strong. She was certainly worthy of having this new child named for her. He smiled.

"Welcome to the family, Izayoi," he half-whispered, half-murmured, a sweet smile curving his lips ever-so-slightly as he delicately cupped the back of the suckling child's tiny head with a gently, if clawed, hand. Yes, the name would work.

They sat there for a few minutes. Izayoi finished her share of milk and slipped into a newborn's slumber, curled up comfortably against her mother.

The sound of the sliding door came, followed by two pairs of pounding feet, though one of them was much softer than the other, as though its bearer ran on padded paws.

Shippo and Michi burst through the curtains that separated Inuyasha and Kagome's room from the rest of the house, eager to meet their new sister. Sango slipping up just behind the curtains, peeking through and winking towards Kagome. The miko gave her friend a grateful nod and smile, and the demon slayer left.

"Hey, Michi, Shippo," the miko greeted sweetly, glancing at each of her sons respectively. "Come meet baby Izayoi."

"Izzzzzzzzieeeee!" squealed Michi excitedly, trying to sound out his sister's name.

Inuyasha grinned at that, finding himself liking the cute little pet name Michi had just unknowingly planted on his new sister.

"That's right," the hanyou agreed, stifling a chuckle. "Meet Izzy."

.oOo.

Izzy's ears never did erect themselves like Michi's had. They stayed flopped over her head, which was a bit odd and left the family wondering where the trait came from. It didn't really bother them too much, though; the child was just as healthy as her brother had been. And besides…the year was drawing to a close. Soon it would be time to take a brief vacation through the well…Izayoi's family was more preoccupied preparing her to meet her grandmother.

.oOo.

**Author's Note:**

Whoo, finally finished! Sorry it took so long…I was running a bit low on inspiration. After all, I only got two reviews for the previous chapter in comparison to five for the first. Reviews really do make a difference! ^^"

Not to mention that ON TOP OF THAT, that dumb security code box wouldn't show up on my computer, therefore I couldn't log in, therefore it took yet longer to get this chapter on the site. Grrrr.

To those who DID review chapter two—namely Snitchykun and xxBrokenNightDollxx—thank you so much! You all are awesome and I enjoyed hearing from you!

(Thank you to reviewers of the first chapter, too. ;) )

Also, on another note, I wrote a story shortly before this one entitled "Bedtime Stories", which is takes place just two months before this chapter. A reviewer commented that I made Michi act more like a five- or six-year-old than a three-year-old. Quite frankly, looking back over it, she was right. ^^' (Though in my humble defense, I _am _more used to writing Michi in the 6-8 age frame than 3.)

So anyways. I looked up some basic three-year-old behaviors and such, and hope I got him more accurate this time. :)

See you next chapter!


	4. Kikyo

It wasn't often that Inuyasha and Kagome visited the modern era outside of their yearly wintertime trip, but they decided to go for this week during the spring. A storm had struck back in the feudal era, and though there was little damage, there had nearly been a flood. The earth around their home was still peaty and sopping wet, and many of the creatures and even demons that prowled the nearby forest had temporarily fled.

Thus, a springtime visit.

Kagome leaned back on the couch, watching Souta playfully chase Michi, Izzy, and Shippo around the house. Souta, now 18 and a senior in high school, was turning out to be a really fun uncle for the three of them, always willing to get down to their level and play, and boy, as Kagome grateful for that! She needed a break from time to time. She was also glad, she noted, that she'd managed to find a way to get Shippo through the well when he joined their family…it just wasn't fair to just leave him back all the time.

The miko closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, absentmindedly placing a hand on her distended stomach. She recalled six years earlier, before Michi was born, when she and Inuyasha had first discussed having a child, other than Shippo, of course. At first, the hanyou had been very uncomfortable with the idea; she knew he'd wanted one, she could see it in her eyes, but a certain awkwardness was holding him back, an unsurity of how their children would grow up and how he would be able to handle it. Eventually, he grudgingly agreed to have just one, or maybe two.

So imagine how it had surprised Kagome when Inuyasha, about a month before Michi's sixth birthday, had told her that he wanted another one.

But as surprised as she was, the miko didn't complain. She had nothing against having a third child (or fourth, really, counting Shippo), and she agreed.

And now here she was, just weeks away from the birth of another.

The click of a doorknob signaled the return of Kagome's mother, Nodoka Higurashi, after a trip to the grocery store.

"I'm back," the woman greeted loudly, but sweetly, entering with a few bags in her hands. The voice got the attention of the children. Michi bounded up to her excitedly, Izzy following on less-steady legs. Shippo, being older and a bit more mature, hung back, but was looking at his adopted grandmother excitedly enough.

"Obaachan!" gasped Michi as he ran up to his grandma. "Didja get candy? Can I have some?"

Nodoka winked at her grandson.

"After dinner," she promised. Michi's excitement waned slightly, his dark, pointed ears falling back.

"Aww," he complained. "That's no fun!"

Nodoka shrugged.

"You'll be fine," she assured. "Souta?" The teenager glanced up.

"Yeah?"

"Could you take these bags to the kitchen, please?"

"Sure."

Bags out of hands, Nodoka now had time to glance down at little Izzy, dancing below her on short three-year-old legs and holding her arms up. The woman bent down and lifted her granddaughter, settling the child on her hip.

"Hey, Izzy! How are you?"

"Good," answered Izzy, glancing around the room at her new heightened perspective. Nodoka smiled and walked over to Kagome's place on the couch, sitting down next to her daughter and seating Izayoi on her lap. Shippo bounded over, leaping up next to them.

"Hey, Shippo," Nodoka said kindly, beaming at her adopted grandson.

"Hi, Nodoka-san," answered the kitsune, seating himself calmly beside her. Despite his mother-son relationship with Kagome and technical adopted status, he never called her "Okaa", nor—heaven forbid!—did he call Inuyasha "Otou". He'd known them for too long by their names, and he wasn't about to change that. Such a thing being said, he didn't feel very comfortable calling Kagome's mother "Obaachan", either.

"So, Kagome," Nodoka began, turning towards her daughter. "How's the baby?"

Kagome grinned, rubbing her stomach slowly.

"Coming along," she answered. Nodoka grinned back.

"Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?" the elder woman asked.

"Shou' be a girl," Izzy interrupted softly in her still-developing toddler's voice.

"No way, it should be a boy!" disagreed Shippo. The women laughed lightly at the sibling's banter as Kagome turned to her mother.

"I don't know, honestly," she answered earnestly, though still with a light-hearted gleam in her eyes. "But I'd be fine with either."

Nodoka nodded, but then turned away to calm the still-squabbling children. As she did so, Kagome felt a sudden discomfort in her abdomen, faint, but present. She clutched it loosely and frowned a bit, but tried to shake it off. It was just cramps, wasn't it? The baby wasn't due for another three weeks.

Yet though she tried to cram the thought in the back of her mind, she couldn't seem to shake off a bad feeling that that wasn't the case.

.oOo.

Well, Kagome's nagging feeling had been right. Over the course of the next few hours, the pains got worse and more frequent to the point that she couldn't move. She found herself sitting once more on the couch, but this time clutching the sides much more uncomfortably, gasping in pain.

"Kagome, are you ok?" Nodoka called from the kitchen where she was preparing dinner.

"No!" gasped Kagome, and her mother was in there in a flash. Seeing her daughter's discomfort, her worry immediately switched on.

"Oh my goodness, what's wrong?"

"Mama!" said Kagome. "Mama, I think the baby's coming. Now!"

"What? Now?" exclaimed Nodoka. "But isn't it early?"

"Yes," Kagome groaned. "But I've done this twice before now and I'm sure this is it!"

Nodoka stood there in shock for a minute, unsure of how to react or what to do. Then she started to move away.

"We've gotta get you to the hospital," she said hoarsely.

"No!" Kagome refused suddenly. Nodoka stopped and turned around.

"Why?"

"Mama, my other children have _dog ears_. What if this one dose, too? Or any of Inuyasha's other demonic traits? What would the hospital people think? We just can't risk it!"

Nodoka sighed, defeated.

"You're right," she admitted. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Well," Kagome admitted in between awkward breaths, "the only thing we really _can _do now is have the baby here." Nodoka blinked, but didn't disagree.

"Ok. But the only births I've ever attended in the past have been yours and Souta's, and I was a bit too preoccupied with getting the two of you out to pay attention to exactly what the doctors were doing."

"That's ok," panted Kagome as another spasm gripped her. She tilted her head back in pain, again gripping the couch. "Go find Inuyasha," she instructed. "He was out by the Goshinboku last time I saw him. I don't know how much he can help, but he was there for at least part of both Michi and Izzy's births."

"Alright. But what about the kids?"

"Go dig out those modern outfits you got them. Shippo can transform to appear human and you can get a hat of some sort for Michi and Izzy. Then Souta can take them out into town for a while."

"Good thinking," Nodoka admitted, running out to gather everyone up.

"Hurry!" Kagome called after her, panting harder as she felt another pain coming on.

.oOo.

"Inuyasha!" called Nodoka as she neared the Goshinboku. The hanyou looked up from the small tic-tac-toe game he was playing with Michi, Izzy, and Shippo in the dusty ground. "Inuyasha, the baby! Kagome's baby! It's coming…now!"

Inuyasha nearly leapt up in surprise when those words were spoken.

"What?" he exclaimed. "It can't be! It's not due for another few weeks; Kagome said so!"

"I know!" moaned Nodoka, already stressed enough. "But she swears it's happening. Go there—fast!"

Inuyasha's burst towards the door was answer enough. Nodoka turned to the children remaining under the tree, watching their father run off to the house.

"You three," instructed Nodoka quickly, "I need you to find the modern outfits I bought for you and put them on. Shippo, you'll need to transform to look like a normal human, and you may have to help Izzy. Souta's going to take you three into town for a while."

The children looked at her, a little bewildered by her frantic speaking. But Shippo gave her a solemn nod and the three ran off.

.oOo.

The birth was a dramatic one, with none of the three people in there having a strong enough idea what they were doing. But the child made it; small, but breathing, and at least seemingly healthy.

Nodoka, feeling a little surreal, handed the slick red lump to Inuyasha before going to turn on the water in the sink to clean the child, waiting until it filled up with a desirable temperature. Kagome sighed a breath of relief, taking some time to catch her breath.

Inuyasha looked down at the crying bundle he held so delicately. He'd never held one of his children just after birth…Kaede and Rin had always had time to wash and dry them first. Yet now here was this one, new as can be.

It was a girl, he could easily tell that much. She was smaller than her siblings had been, which was expected due to the early birth, but it still worried the hanyou. She looked fully developed, which was good, but undersized nonetheless; holding his large hands out together, she easily fit.

Like her siblings, the new child had a head full of hair at birth. Though the color of the fuzz was a bit difficult to distinguish under all the fluids, it didn't look dark at all. Perhaps she had inherited _his_ hair color…?

"Inuyasha," Nodoka called from the other room. "Bring her in here now."

The hanyou complied, though he walked rather slowly and carefully, nervous that he would drop the precious bundle. Ever-so-cautiously, he handed the child to her grandmother, who carefully lowered the baby into the warm, waiting water and began to gently wash.

Sure enough, she was revealed to have her father's brilliant silver hair; the only one thus far. Also, like her siblings, she sported his canine ears, which certainly seemed to be an oddly dominant trait. Hers, though, seemed uneven, one pointed and one not, like a cartoon mutt. He wasn't sure which was an odder trait, this one or Izayoi's, as they were still unsure of where the floppy-eared gene came from in the first place. But he decided that wherever they came from, they looked cute on his daughters.

Inuyasha blinked as Nodoka removed the child from the water and wrapped her up in a clean towel, taking her to the other room. He reflected on the child's looks, unsure if he was feeling proud that his new daughter looked so much like him or unnerved that she looked so much like a hanyou; the white hair really made a difference in that determination. Even with their puppy ears, both Michi and Izzy looked very human at first glance, with the dark hair and eyes. He vaguely wondered what color this new child's eyes would be as he followed his mother-in-law back into the other room. Nonetheless, he noted, as much as she may look hanyou, she didn't seem it. Like her siblings, she emitted little to no youki…looks like any demonic traits again went no further than skin-deep, just a little more evident.

Kagome opened her eyes tiredly as she heard her mother come it.

"How's the baby?" she asked softly, the motherly concern obvious in her voice. Nodoka just smiled proudly, looking down at her now-calming granddaughter.

"It's a girl, and as far as I can tell, she's doing fine. I'm a little worried about her size, but other than that, fine." the elder woman reported, rocking the baby slightly before handing her off to meet her mother. "Wow, Kagome, you did it. You really did it. Right here. Just now." Kagome smiled faintly, accepting the child happily.

"Yeah, I know. Feels pretty surreal, doesn't it?"

Nodoka nodded simply as Inuyasha came up behind her, moving numbly in front to watch his wife get acquainted with the newest member of the family.

Kagome looked down to get a good eyeful of her daughter for the first time, and a grin spread ear-to-ear as she met the child's eyes, staring curiously, if unfocused, back up at her.

"Aww, sweetie," she greeted kindly, "You look so much like your daddy!" she rubbed the child's head lightly, feeling the soft silver hair under her finger—though more like her mother's, this child's hair seemed to curl. The baby looked up at her mother with big, indigo eyes, much like Michi's: very human, indeed—a bit to Inuyasha's relief—but they certainly came from the father. The child closed said eyes again and began to mewl. Kagome let her suckle.

Nodoka smiled at the sweet little scene. She kissed her daughter lightly on the head.

"You two come up with a name, now," she suggested. "I'll call Souta and tell him he can come back."

Kagome glanced up at her mother with deep affection and gratitude in her russet gaze.

"Thanks, Mama."

There was a silence as Nodoka left the room. Then a moment later, Inuyasha spoke.

"Ok, then, name. What was it you suggested for Izzy, Aimi? Yuki? Or I said Moriko." the hanyou reminded, trying to dig up the old suggestions they'd used last time. A strange emotion flicker across Kagome's eyes as she stared down at her tiny new daughter.

"Actually," the miko admitted softly, not yet meeting her husband's eyes, "I was thinking for a while…if the baby was a girl, I kinda though about naming her…about naming her Kikyo."

Whatever Inuyasha was expecting, it sure wasn't that. The hanyou nearly jumped back in shock, staring incredulously at his wife with surprise in his amber eyes.

"What?" he gasped. "You…you can't be serious? I thought you hated Kikyo!" Kagome shook her head calmly, a slight embarrassed blush tinting her already-reddened face.

"No, I never hated her," she replied. "I was jealous of her for a long time, yes, but I never truly hated her. And even as envious as I was about her relationship with you, she was still a very powerful miko, and I'm sure she had good intentions somewhere in her heart, at least when she was alive—truly alive, I mean, not really the clay zombie that I knew." Kagome broke off to take a deep breath, then continued.

"I have a form of respect for her, at the very least. And besides, I have no reason to be jealous of her _now_. She's dead, and you chose me. What grudge do I have left to hold?"

Inuyasha blinked at her explanation, unsure of what to make of it at first. Then he shook his thoughts away, glancing at the baby.

"So you're sure about that, huh?"

Kagome nodded. Inuyasha smirked half-heartedly, his gaze softening slightly. The priestess Kikyo had been an important person in his life, as the entire group knew. She had been his first love. Even with the nasty trick Naraku had played on the two of them, if Kikyo had never pinned him to the Goshinboku and them proceeded to try and burn the Shikon Jewel with herself, Kagome never would have come back to the Feudal Era and met him. Their destinies wouldn't have collided like they had. He owed the dead miko that much.

"I guess that's settled, then," he agreed softly. "This is…this is Kikyo."

.oOo.

The weeks went by, then months, and on. The family stayed in the modern era for three more weeks—up until the point when Kikyo was _supposed_ to be born. The child did grow, much to their relief, and by the time they went back to their home in the Sengoku Jidai, she was the size of a normal newborn. Luckily, and perhaps partially due to the youkai genes lurking in her blood, she was fairly healthy and didn't fall sick like she could have.

Michi, Izzy, and Shippo had been delighted to meet their new sister. Izayoi, of course, had been ecstatic that it was a girl and that she now had a sister to play with instead of just Amaya and Misaki, who were both much, much older than her. Michi and Shippo were happy, to, but having been hoping for a boy, they decided that the two of them were going to have to make a boy's alliance and be ready for the girls.

.oOo.

**Author's Note**

Yes, I KNOW this took forever to update. My sincerest apologies; I did actually have this chapter finished several days ago, but then the internet connection on my computer decided to die, so I couldn't upload it. It started working again today and we still have no clue why it was down for so long. The Wi-Fi was working and we could access stuff from everything else, just not the actual computer. :/

On another note, only one more chapter to go! 8D

Thank you to those who have reviewed so far, especially to my consistent reviewers. 8D If you've got something new to say for each new chapter, that's totally great—I LOVE hearing from you! Consistent reviewers show me that they're keeping up with the story and make me just a bit more excited to write the next chapter in hopes that I'll hear from them again.

So don't worry, xxBrokenNightDollxx, I don't see you becoming irritating any time soon. XD As far as your comment on SessRin goes…maybe. I've never been a huge fan of SessRin, but I'm not against it, either. I'll think about it. –nodnod-


	5. Kiotsu

"Hey, not bad, Kiotsu," Inuyasha commented as the blast of youki delivered from young hanyou claws stripped the nearby trees of leaves.

It wasn't often that Inuyasha met another hanyou. In fact, he could only think of two off the top of his head: Jinenji, the huge horse hanyou who so often helped Kagome with identifying herbs, and Shiori, the bat hanyou child who once guarded a powerful barrier for her youkai father's clan. So of course, he hadn't expected to find another one just wandering around, completely lost, in the forest by Kaede's village.

Well, maybe "found him" was a bit of an understatement, considering what had really happened. The child had been running from a small, seemingly outcast band of wolf demons. Inuyasha just so happened to be walking through the forest at that time and heard the hanyou's screams. The inu-hanyou had developed a serious soft spot for responding to the calls of children after helping raise three of his own—four, including Shippo—and in addition, fighting off demons was something he was really good at.

The small pack of three turned out to be much weaker than Koga and his tribe. The battle, admittedly, wasn't the easiest one Inuyasha had ever fought, but he managed to drive off the youkai with not much more than skin wounds. The little hanyou cowered beneath him, frightened. Inuyasha glanced at him, realizing that, a bit surprisingly, the child was a wolf hanyou. He couldn't say he was too excited about that fact, given his past relationship with wolf demons, but in the end, his pity won over.

As it turned out, the child—named Kiotsu—was a strange little hanyou borne of a human man and a wolf youkai mother—a fact that rather intrigued Inuyasha, who'd never met a hanyou whose _mother _was the demon. Kiotsu's mother hadn't belonged to Koga's particular tribe, but they were close. None of the tribeswolves had been excited about his birth, but being pack animals with incredibly close and loyal bonds, they found it in their hearts to at least let the child stay until they deemed him old enough to take care of himself, which turned out to about the equivalent of a human ten-year-old. As soon as he reached that point, though, the wolves banished Kiotsu from their tribe. His mother, desperate to protect her son, immediately followed. She managed to raise him in relative safety for quite a while after that, but about a year ago, a group of wolf youkai were exiled from another tribe and eventually caught up. Despite their emaciated state, they managed to kill Kiotsu's mother and then had turned for the pup himself, who had run away as far as he could before Inuyasha happened to show up.

Kiotsu was now about the equivalent of a twelve-year-old. He stood perched lightly of his toes, and though his feet looked like that of normal humans, the toe count only numbered four, like a paw. A short brown tail protruded from his rear and all his digits were tipped with razor-sharp claws. His electric blue eyes struck through messy bangs, just the beginning of the tangled russet tumble of a mane that fell just past shoulder length. His ears were rounded and located at the sides of his head, but his nose was long and almost pointed with dark, wet membranes at the tip, creating an odd form of pseudo-muzzle.

Having felt bad for the poor little guy, Inuyasha had taken him in. At first, the child was nervous, remaining in the forest and only allowing Inuyasha to come by for training purposes, as Inuyasha had promised to teach Kiotsu all the fighting skills he knew and whatever would help a young hanyou survive. But eventually, the older hanyou coaxed the younger one inside.

Kiotsu knew the social trials of being a hanyou and he was rather surprised to find out that Inuyasha had a family. Soon enough, though, he found himself bonding with the younger children. He had an especially fun time playing with Michi and Shippo, and Izzy's playful nature never failed to make him laugh…well, usually. Sometimes he found the little chatterbox to be quite annoying. But that was ok. Shy Kikyo was harder to get to know; the nervous two-year-old tended to stick closer to her parents. But she did occasionally find time to color with the wolf hanyou, and eventually, she decided that he was a friend.

"Thanks," responded, Kiotsu, smiling up at his mentor who he had come, over the past three and a half months that he'd known him, to think of as a sort of father figure. He lightly flexed his clawed fingers before raising his hand to strike again.

"Here I gooooua…ah…ah…ah-_CHOO_!" Kiotsu covered his mouth at the sudden sneeze, blinking a few times as though to try and flush the feeling away.

"Oi, are you ok?" asked Inuyasha, showing a bit of concern.

"Y…yeah, just fine," stammered Kiotsu. "Just had something in my nose, that's all."

And again, he raised his hand to strike.

.oOo.

As it turned out, "something in my nose" wasn't the problem at all. Not only was Kiotsu beginning to fall ill, but he also appeared to suffer from something that many other hanyou did, a defense mechanism that helped them stay alive in the wild: he didn't like to admit to any form of weakness.

Granted, hanyou didn't get sick often. Most of them inherited substantial immune systems from the demon side of their families. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a demon virus that was haunting the child, and before long, the little hanyou was confined to his room, resting on his share of bed. Eventually, it got so bad that Inuyasha and Kagome reluctantly removed Michi and Shippo from that room at night, letting them go sleep in the adjacent room with Izayoi and Kikyo so that the sickness wouldn't spread. The kids began to feel nervous about the little boy they'd come to think of as an adopted brother. Michi often asked to see him, but as Kiotsu worsened, his visits became less and less frequent. Izzy was constantly talking about him, though unlike most of her playful chatter, there was an edge of unsurity to her voice whenever she did so. The mood of worry was present in the entire family, and no one could think of much new to do to help.

It had been three weeks now since Kiotsu had first begun to cough and his situation was quickly becoming critical. He hardly moved now except when Inuyasha or Kagome came in to treat or comfort him.

Kagome mixed up a careful poultice that Kaede had suggested. It was an experimental medicine, currently untested, but the family was beginning to grow desperate. They had considered trying to get Kiotsu into the other side of the well to the modern era where medicine was more advanced, but by the time that idea had come up, the sickness had gotten to the point that it was best that the little hanyou not be moved.

"Kagome, wait!" gasped Inuyasha just as Kagome was about to part the curtains to go into Kiotsu's room with the medicine. Kagome halted, surprised, turning to see what the matter was.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" she inquired, a tone of confusion ringing in the back of her words.

"You shouldn't go in there," the hanyou stated softly, "You could catch the sickness." He pressed a worried hand gently into the miko's swollen stomach, and she sighed, covering it gently. The couple had mildly discussed having another child after Kikyo, but this new one had come along much sooner than expected. Nonetheless, here it was, ready to arrive any day now.

"I understand your concern, sweetheart," cooed Kagome, rubbing her husband's large fingers softly with her thumb. "But Kiotsu needs me. I have to give him the medicine."

"Let me do that, then," argued Inuyasha. "I'm a hanyou. I'll be able to repel the sickness from reaching me." But Kagome just shook her head slowly.

"This is a demon sickness, remember? You're just as vulnerable to it as I am, if not more so. I'm going."

"But the baby—"

"The baby will be fine, Inuyasha. The germs will surely be unable to reach it."

Inuyasha sighed in defeat.

"Ok," he murmured. Kagome smiled at him.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. It will all turn out fine."

.oOo.

"Fine" was not the word Inuyasha would have chosen for the following string of events.

Kiotsu was still awake when Kagome went in with her poultice, but barely. His breathing had grown shallower, soft, rasping crackles sounding with each inhale. He opened his once-electrifying blue eyes a crack, now dull and tired and ringed with reddened skin, a startling contrast to his otherwise pale, dry face.

"K…Kagome-sama…" he managed, then paused to cough.

"Shh, sweetie, shhh," murmured Kagome, voice as soft as if she were addressing one of her own children. "Don't try to talk. You need to rest your throat."

The little wolf hanyou nodded shallowly, but he still looked rather unsure, as though he were thinking of something.

"Here," continued Kagome, offering him the small clay bowl with the watered-down herbal mixture. "Kaede says this should help. Eat it."

Kiotsu accepted the bowl, peering in at its contents. Then he laid it down on the floor beside him and shook his head.

"No," he rasped quietly, disobeying Kagome's gentle order not to speak. "It won't help me. Not anymore."

Kagome stared at the child in disbelief. Surely he wasn't giving up now?

"What do you mean, Kiotsu?" she asked softly, just to check. The little hanyou turned his head away from the caring miko.

"I mean, I…I'm…" the child paused as a coughing fit seized his throat. As it died down, he continued more weakly. "It's too…it's too late for me. I'm…I'm…leaving. Now."

"What?" whispered Kagome, blinking at the bluntness of Kiotsu's statement. "You can't leave now, sweetheart. We could still cure you. Won't you at least try the medicine?"

"N…no," moaned Kiotsu. "I'm leaving…now. I…I love you, Kagome. And I love Inuyasha, too. You'll tell him…won't you? And Michi, and Shippo…and Izzy and…Kikyo…and…the…baby…too…?" The words got further and further apart. Kagome stared sadly, unshed tears stinging her eyes.

"Please…Kagome…promise…me?" the words were pained. Kagome felt her heat clench at the child's request. Unable to sooth him any other way, she nodded.

"I'll tell them." she agreed. The little wolf hanyou's lips curved up into a slight smile for the last time, gazing at the miko with true happiness glistening in the half-closed blue depths despite his pain. The last two words he spoke came in the whisper of an exhale.

"Thank you."

And he was gone.

Inuyasha burst through the curtains at the sound of gentle sobbing.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" he gasped, leaping towards his wife. Even as he said that, though, his nose told him the answer. A faint, fresh whiff of death-scent was already beginning to waft off of the younger hanyou.

"Kiotsu is..." murmured Kagome, "Kiotsu is…dead."

Inuyasha stared in disbelief at the child's lifeless body. They hadn't been fast enough. The sickness had overtaken him. Oh, no…

The older hanyou fell to a sitting position, horror and sorrow blazing in his amber eyes. He closed them slowly, turning away from the sight and smell. He reached out his arms and held Kagome close for a moment, allowing her to cry and feeling a faint sting to his eyes himself. No tears ran over, though, and eventually, he stiffened up with a new determination.

"I'll have to bury him, then," he said, voice heavy with loss. "You should clean up in here, wash away any traces of the sickness. We don't need any other children catching it."

Kagome nodded numbly, slowly standing.

"Ok."

Inuyasha stood, lifting Kiotsu's lifeless body with him. He turned to leave, but just as he reached the curtains, Kagome stopped him.

"He said he loves you."

"What?"

"Kiotsu," the miko specified. "He told me to tell you and the kids that he loved you, all of you."

Inuyasha nodded slowly, pausing as he glanced at the now blank face of the child. The tangled russet locks were still greasy with the sweat of the sickness and the mouth just under his muzzle-like nose was left agape. Then he left.

The other kids saw him as he exited the house. They were playing a simple game of tic-tac-toe in the dirt. Little Kikyo sat in Michi's lap, evidently on his "team" since she wasn't really old enough to play the game well herself. Shippo looked up with concern in his green eyes and Izzy began to mumble something to her older brothers.

"Otou, what happened?" asked Michi after a moment's pause, uncomfortable with seeing Kiotsu's limp form in his father's arms. He felt a shiver move down his spine just looking at the lifeless pose.

"Kiotsu died," answered Inuyasha sadly, if quite bluntly. "He…couldn't overcome the sickness."

Michi's face fell, his dark, pointed dog ears drawing back in dismay as his fears were confirmed.

"What?" the eight-year-old gasped.

"He can't be _dead!_" gasped Izzy, leaping to her feet. "He was so much fun! And he was strong, too! There's just no way!" the five-year-old whined desperately.

Shippo only looked sadly at the ground, trying to avoid the sight and smell of death, they murky odor bringing back unpleasant memories through his sensitive kitsune nose.

Kikyo, being only two, didn't fully comprehend the whole depth of the situation, but the limp position of Kiotsu's body and the distress of her siblings made her anxious and uncomfortable. She began to whimper sadly.

"Otoooooou," she whined, crying for comfort from her father. Inuyasha blinked sadly at her.

"Not yet, Kikyo," he soothed as well as he could. "I'm going to go bury Kiotsu now. I'll be back."

And he disappeared into the trees.

.oOo.

Inuyasha took his time digging the hole and tenderly laid the unmoving child under the earth. It was sad, really. Especially for him. Here he was, hoping to make a difference in another hanyou's life, to show him that hanyou could be loved, but the life was cruelly stripped from him with this unusual disease. What cruel trick was fate trying to play on the poor child?

But he had made a difference, he dare thought. He had certainly seen an optimistic change in the little hanyou's eyes during the few months he'd stayed with the family. He had been loved…and he loved back.

The adult hanyou gave a final tender pat to the dirt that now covered the dead child's body. He'd have to come back to make a gravestone later. As it was, he'd already stretched his task to a length hour and a half…he needed to be getting back to his living family now.

As he turned, he coughed lightly. For a moment, he felt a grip of terror. Surely he couldn't have caught the illness?

Nah, he decided. He'd be fine. He had so rarely been sick before, so why should he be now? He continued on home.

.oOo.

Inuyasha went straight to the boys' bedroom when he returned where Kiotsu had rested before his untimely demise, but Kagome wasn't there. He could smell soap and water in the room, though, and the acrid stench of sickness was less present. He decided it would probably be a good idea, though, to wait a few days before moving Michi and Shippo back in there. With another brief whiff, he caught another scene…a much more presently alarming one. His golden eyes widened suddenly as he bolted into his own room.

Kagome was there, lying uncomfortably on her back in the middle of the floor. She'd pulled out a few blankets and was atop one. Now somewhat familiar with the process, she'd stripped almost all the way down and was panting just slightly. She looked up to see Inuyasha standing in the doorway, mouth agape.

"You're back, good," she gasped. "The baby…it's coming."

Inuyasha stood speechless for a moment, then shook his head to clear it.

"Well, no, duh!" he snapped, surprise and nervousness wreaking havoc on his mind and heart. "Where's Kaede? Sango?"

"I sent Shippo up to get them. He's taking Michi, Izzy, and Kikyo to Miroku and Sango's house on the way."

Inuyasha nodded, that problem satisfied. He suddenly felt very grateful to the kitsune.

"Ok, good," he replied, then suddenly turned away to cough, feeling a sticky, burning substance building up in his throat. Kagome gasped, sitting up quickly.

"Oh, no! You're not catching the disease, are you? Please tell me you're not getting sick, too!"

"Don't sit up!" Inuyasha exclaimed, gently grasping his wife's tensed shoulders. "Just relax, please. For the baby." Kagome reluctantly obeyed, and the hanyou continued. "I hope not."

"Kaede's poultice is still in the boys' room. Eat it, please. Just in case." she begged. Inuyasha nodded and quickly fetched it, bringing it back with him so that she could see him swallow the medicine. She relaxed further, sighing.

"I hope that works."

.oOo.

Kaede and Sango came quickly, having ridden on Shippo's pink balloon, which he had over time learned to strengthen and quicken enough to get them both down there fast.

The birth itself was normal. In fact, it even seemed shorter than the births of their pervious children, perhaps partly because it was in fact their fourth (and probably final, they had decided.) It was a little boy with incredibly thick black hair and tiny silver puppy ears just like his father's. In looks, he was perfectly healthy and really quite cute.

There was just one problem.

He wasn't crying.

After about thirty seconds, Kagome really began to panic. What if the child was a stillborn? She didn't think she'd be able to handle that emotional trauma just after the passing of the little wolf hanyou.

"He's alive," Inuyasha murmured, relying on his sensitive nose and calming Kagome's worst fear, but what he said next was, somehow, even worse. "But…he's sick."

Kagome felt dizzy, and not just from the drama of the birth. Sick…no, he couldn't be sick. There was no way the baby could have caught that demon virus in just a few moments of life. Not that virus that had claimed Kiotsu and had almost grasped Inuyasha.

"Oh, no," she murmured. "Oh, no, what do we do?" Her voice took a sudden crescendo, shaking with worry. Inuyasha's frantic expression became determined.

"Wash him off, that's what!" he said suddenly, glancing at Kaede and Sango. The women nodded, proceeding with the almost ritualistic bathing of the silent newborn. The warm water, presumably similar to what his situation would have been in the womb, seemed to stimulate him a bit. The tiny child cracked open fuzzy, unfocused eyes—which turned out to be brown like his mother's—and managed to produce a feeble, crackling squeak.

"Well, that's good, at least he's been breathing," Sango said softly.

"Aye, but ye can still hear the crackles," added Kaede sadly. "His lungs may be working, but they're partially clogged."

"Kagome, do you still have some spare herbs from that poultice?" Inuyasha continued. The miko nodded numbly and the hanyou burst up to retrieve them. He returned a moment later, chewing furiously on a few different leaves, each with a smell that the medicine had included. After a few seconds of rigorous mashing within his mouth, he spit the sloppy wad into his hand and held it out lightly.

"This is gonna sound gross, but what I need you to do is rub this on your…y'know. And then when the kid suckles, he'll get the medicine juice, as well."

Kagome, past the point of caring about the grossness, quickly accepted and followed the instructions.

"Good thinking, Inuyasha," agreed Kaede, removing the sleepy infant from the warm tub and handing him over to his mother. "I'll send some more of the herbs back with Shippo, if you like." Kagome nodded in agreement.

"That would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Kaede."

"Yer welcome," the elderly miko responded. "I wish you my best and a blessing on the little child," she said kindly as she left.

Sango glanced at her friends, nodding to them.

"My best wishes, as well. I hope he feels better soon." Kagome stared sincerely into her dear friend's eyes.

"Thank you," she said deeply. The demon slayer nodded and followed Kaede out of the house, having her own family to attend to.

The parents watched as their new child tentatively began to suckle. The odd flavor of the herbal juice seemed to repel him for a moment, but the couple sighed a breath of relief when hunger won out over flavor and the child lapped it all up, medicinal juice included. With any luck, it would work quickly and effectively.

"I guess it's time for a name," Kagome murmured quietly, her thoughts racing to come up with one. Inuyasha nodded quietly for a moment, then spoke softly.

"Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like to name him. Because I have a name that I think he deserves. Is that ok?"

Kagome blinked.

"Of course. Go ahead."

Inuyasha took a deep breath, his eyes swimming with an unusual amount of emotion.

"His name is Kiotsu."

.oOo.

Luckily, the juice trick seemed to work, and perhaps it was thanks to his 3/4 human blood diluting the youkai cells, as well, but the new little Kiotsu seemed to be fully cured of the demon sickness by the time he was about a week and a half old. Michi and Shippo moved back into their room, and everything was back on track.

Inuyasha and Kagome sat happily in the main room of their home one evening. Michi, Shippo, and Izzy were lost in an adventurous game with a wooden snake, Izzy's purple stuffed dog, and a few of Shippo's miscellaneous little gadgets like tops. Kikyo sat quietly next to her mother, working contentedly on a colorful doodle with a few broken down crayons. An increasingly-active Kiotsu sat comfortably in his father's arms, proudly showing off his new talent: smiling.

Inuyasha smiled right back down at his youngest son. He really was cute. His dark, unusually thick hair fell just above his tiny eyebrows from just under which curious brown eyes blinked. Kikyo still held the position of being the only child with Inuyasha's silver hair, but despite his head hair being dark like Kagome's, Kiotsu's now-erected little puppy ears displayed the brilliant white shade, making him unique in being the only one whose hair and fur colors differed.

But that was ok, Inuyasha reflected. Heck, that was great. He looked up and around at the room full of people, then back down at the little child. He was glad to have this little survivor, very glad.

Their family, he knew, was now complete.

**THE END**

**Author's Note**

Whoo, very long chapter is very long!

Sorry for the wait, guys. Hope it was worth it! Also sorry for making the wolf hanyou Kiotsu's story so short and choppy, but I had to fit it all in there. Perhaps I'll make a separate fic explaining more of his details.

Big thank you to those of you who actually took the time to review! Especially to xxBrokenNightDollxx, who reviewed every single chapter, and to snitchykun, who reviewed all but the first. :) Thank you so much, guys! You have no idea how much I enjoyed reading your comments and feedback. Each new review really makes my day! ^^

Until the next story,

Nattikat8


	6. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

By far the worst thing about finishing a fanfic, I think, is no longer being able to reply to your reviews via Author's Notes at the end of the chapter. XD So I suppose I'll have to do it this way.

As far as the wolf hanyou Kiotsu's story goes…I, personally, don't find it to be weird—perhaps because I know more about it in my head than I put down on the paper—but I DO believe that it was incredibly rushed and choppy in that chapter. My main reason for not giving it a separate chapter is because this particular fanfic is meant to be specifically about the births and brief events surrounding them. The reason I added the wolf's story at all was because it was the reason for the sickness and was important to the naming of the fourth (or fifth, counting Shippo) child. I am considering, however, writing a completely separate fic that more thoroughly explains Kiotsu's story, if anyone's interested. I don't know when I will be able to post it, but it's being brainstormed in my mind.

As for Kagome…yeah, I know. ^^" I had to mention it at some point, though—it would've been much weirder if I just began the birth scene without having said _anything _about it—and I couldn't figure out a good way how. This was the best thing my currently not-so-creative mind could think of. BUT I am thinking of brief little things I could add to try and solve the problem.

But thank you for your feedback, everyone!

OH—and also, if anyone's interested in seeing a picture of the wolf Kiotsu, here's a little concept sketch that I drew earlier today: oi48 (dot) tinypic (dot) com (slash) vzj8lx (dot) jpg .

Hope that link comes through…

And if anyone wants to see artwork of Inuyasha and Kagome's kids as described in this fic, you can check it out in my deviantART gallery—my username there is Nattikat8, as well.

I also have more fanfictions here on featuring them, if anyone's interested. :)

Thank you again!

-Nattikat8


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